Ravens Land Ja'Marr Chase in Re-Draft

The Baltimore Ravens walked away with an interesting haul in a recent thought experiment, including a rival team's star receiver.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) breaks away from Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams (32) on a reception in the first quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. The Bengals led 24-7 at halftime. Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Nfl Week 18 / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

Like every other team, the Baltimore Ravens are currently in the lull of the offseason between minicamp and training camp, which means it's the perfect time for hypotheticals that will never actually happen.

The latest of said pieces comes from NFL.com's Chad Reuter, who put together a seven-round NFL mock draft that includes every player in the league, rookie and veteran. Essentially, think of it as a fantasy football draft, even including the "snaking" format from round to round, but with every player in the league available.

Obviously, a scenario like this will never happen in real life, but it's fun to think about at least.

This hypothetical draft uses this year's actual draft to determine the order, which means the Ravens' first pick comes at No. 30 overall. With that pick, they take Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase in a move that's sure to disgust fans on both sides of the AFC North feud.

"Chase's production declined last season after Joe Burrow was sidelined and the star receiver dealt with his own injury issues, but he's still a downfield threat worthy of a first-round selection," Reuter writes.

Chase has tormented the Ravens since entering the league in 2021. In six games against Baltimore, the LSU product has 37 receptions for 505 yards and three touchdowns, all of which are his highest marks against any one opponent. As such, seeing him in purple and black would be very weird, or at least it would be if this had more than a snowball's chance in Hell of happening.

The Ravens' second-round pick comes soon after at No. 35 overall, and with it, they pick up another star in San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner.

"After the 49ers pass on their erstwhile defensive leader in favor of [Sauce] Gardner, Warner becomes the next star middle linebacker in the Ravens' storied history at the position," Reuter writes.

The rest of Baltimore's haul includes quarterback Geno Smith (No. 94 overall), guard Chris Lidstrom (No. 99), running back Jonathan Taylor (No. 158), defensive tackle D.J. Reader (No. 163) and edge rusher Za'Darius Smith (No. 222). That last one is especially fun, as Smith spent the first four years of his career in Baltimore from 2015-2018.

On the other side of the coin, several current Ravens wound up elsewhere. Lamar Jackson went No. 4 overall to the Arizona Cardinals, while Roquan Smith and Justin Madubuike went in the top 50 picks as well.

Again, this is all just a thought experiment, but admittedly a very fun one.

Make sure you bookmark Ravens Country for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Who is Ravens Best Building Block?
• Ravens Rivals Announce Passing Of Beloved Mascot
• Reason For Ravens' O-Line Overhaul Revealed
• Former Player Slams Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
• Ravens O-Line Questions Continue With Recent Ranking